You're one of us now
by House-of-Blood
Summary: This story is different than ones you usually read. After the death of his parents, Nelly is unable to care for Vlad, so he is sent to an orphanage in Stokerton, where he is adopted by singer Gerard Way. This story is the one of his new life with the band
1. Chapter 1

**I know… this is a bit different for me. I LOVE mcr, so I kinda wanted to do a fanfic about them. This story was inspired by Welcome to the Black Parade, Girly. So, in this story, Vlad gets adopted by Gerard Way a few months after his parents die (because Nelly is unable to take care of him), and he goes on tour with them and to the concerts. It's kind of a twist in the series… I've never written anything that's so far off from the books, but I thought that it would be a nice change for me. Please Review after reading!**

Gerard POV

I sighed, irritated with the ideas that the guys were coming up with.

"No, I don't want to get a kid from California!"

Frank interjected, "And why not? Why can't we just go downtown right now and get one from that Christian orphanage or whatever? What's your problem with that, Gerard?"

I shook my head at him, "I want to get a kid from a small town or something, so at least Cali would be exciting for him."

"Oh her," Mikey called from the couch.

"Yeah, yeah," I waved a hand in his direction, my eyes not leaving Frank's.

"So, if we _do_ get a kid from a little hick town, which little hick town is it gonna be? This is America, guys. There are thousands of little hick towns to choose from." Ray said.

Mikey shrugged, "I guess its Gerard's choice on that one. He came up with this idea, anyway."

Frank raised an eyebrow at me, "So? Where's the kid coming from?"

I leaned back on the couch for a second, thinking. Someplace boring, a state that people don't really visit to go a vacation because there's nothing exciting there. "Kansas?"

"F—k, no. There's no way you're dragging me to Kansas." Frank said.

I sighed, "Michigan?"

Everyone paused, "That doesn't sound like such a bad place. I'd go there," Bob said from the couch, finally joining in on the conversation.

Frank just nodded and Ray shrugged. Mikey looked at me, "Well, then I guess we're going to Michigan."

xxxxxxxx

"May I help you?"

I didn't want to meet the woman's yellow eyes, so I stared at her nose instead, "Yeah, uh, I'm considering adoption, but I'm not really sure about how this whole process goes."

She raised a painted-on eyebrow at me, grabbing an envelope from a drawer in her desk. I tried hard not to touch her bony fingers while taking the packet, "What's this?"

She turned back to her computer, waving a hand at me, "Brochures and such. You know, to fill you in on everything. There's a chair in that corner, honey, and after you read everything you come tell me whether or not you're still willing to do this."

I glanced at the single chair in a corner, "Um, yeah. Okay,"

I sat down and skimmed through the brochures. Colourful and bright, they had pictures of kids playing with adults in front yards and in parks. Most of them said things like, 'Change a child's life for the better. Consider adoption.'

They had the benefits of adopting, like how amazing the chance would be for a child, all that stuff. One brochure was all about what I had to do in order to adopt.

I had to have a job and a respectable home.  
_'Check'_

I could not have a criminal record.

'_Check'_

I had to have a college education.

'_Check…again.'_

After reading through most of the brochures, I went back up to the woman behind the desk. She peered up at me with her squinty yellow eyes, "Have you decided?"

"Yeah, I have," I said, dropping the packet back onto her desk, "I'm gonna adopt. Just tell me what I need to give you, cause I have it all here." I patted the side of my jacket, where a manila envelope sat within the inside pocket, holding everything about me- my birth certificate, list of jobs, and history.

She nodded and held her hand out. I gave her the packet. Silently flipping through, her eyes widened, "I see that you are an international… rock star."

I smirked, "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you play in a band?"

I nodded for her.

"And what band would this be?"

I noticed that her voice was very judge mental, "Uh, My Chemical Romance. It's cool though, none of the guys have criminal records. And we don't drink either, or do drugs. So it's a pretty safe environment for the kid."

She grunted, "Do any of you smoke?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, but not in the house. Only outside,"

"Mm hmm. Well, Mr. Way, I see that all of your affairs are in order. You have to criminal record on you, and I see that you make a lot of money. Where do you live?"

"California," I stated.

Her eyes widened, "Then what are you doing adopting a kid in Stokerton?"

I shrugged, "I thought it would be better to get a kid from out of state. You know, get him in a new environment. California would be exciting for him, I guess."

Her brows knit, "Uh huh…. I see that you'll be wanting a boy, then. I am correct?"

I smiled nervously, "Yeah. I would prefer that, actually."

"Well then, right this way, Mr. Way. I'll take you to see the children and you can tell me which one you would like to adopt."

I nodded.

She stood, the rest of her body was just as bony as her fingers, and she led me to double doors. I held it open for her, and we made our way inside.

Looking around, I saw kids playing checkers, talking, laughing. I saw a few girls having a hoola hoop competition. They were all wearing grey outfits, "What's with their clothes?"

"Those are their uniforms, Mr. Way."

"Oh… why grey, though? Why don't you let them pick their colours or something. I dunno… let them be more creative."

"It's easier to put them all in one colour, Mr. Way."

I shrugged, "Well whatever, then."

We walked through the isle, and I noticed a boy sitting in a far away corner. None of the other children paid attention to him, and he just sat, staring at his hands in his lap. I felt sorry for him, so I asked the woman,  
"Hey, what's his name?"

She glanced over at him, "Vladimir Tod. He just joined us a few months ago, parents died in a house fire. He was the only survivor. And the woman who was going to take him was unable to because of personal problems. I don't know the details." She shrugged a bony shoulder.

I nodded, "How old is he?"

"Ten, I believe. He's a quiet one, likes to have his own space. He'll talk, but he won't come up to you by himself and start a conversation."

I nodded, "Can I talk to him?"

The woman sighed, "Yes, but make it quick please."

I walked over to him slowly. He didn't look up, but I could see his muscles tense, so he must have known I was approaching him.

"Hey,"

He glanced up at me shyly, "Hi,"

He had a small voice. It wasn't squeaky or high pitched or anything, but I could tell that he wasn't much of a talker.

"I'm Gerard. I noticed you sitting here, so I thought I'd come and talk to you."

Vladimir nodded. I sighed, "So why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

He shrugged, "I don't think the other kids like me. I don't want them to make fun of me so I come over here sometimes."

I felt a pain of pity in my chest, "Why would they make fun of you?"

"They tease me about my name and how pale I am."

I held my arm out next to his, "I'm just as pale as you are. Some people still make fun of me, even though I'm an adult."

Vladimir looked at our similar skin colours. He was still paler than me, but not by much.

I pulled my arm away, "And see, we even have the same hair colour."

For the first time, he looked at my face. My black hair fell in my eyes, too long and messy looking.

"And our eyes look alike," I pointed out.

His eyes were darker than mine, but they were nearly the same shade of brown.

"We have a lot in common," he whispered.

"Yeah. So, did you live in Stokerton before you came here?"

He shook his head, his hair whipping back and forth, "No. My house was like, two hours away from here. I live in Bathory."

I titled my head, "They don't have an orphanage there?"

He shook his head, "It's a really small town. All they have is a hospital and two schools." He held two fingers up for me.

"What about houses?"

"Well… _yeah." _He rolled his eyes. "Of course it has houses. I'm just talking about the big huge buildings like this one."

I laughed, "I know. I was just pulling your leg."

"Hey, Gerard. Are you here to adopt someone?"

I nodded, "Yup."

"Do… do you think you could adopt me? Please?" He looked back down into his lap.

I patted him on the back, smiling, "Yeah, yeah I think I'll adopt you. I like you, Vladimir."

He looked at me, "You can call me Vlad, you know."

"Okay, then. Vlad, I think I'll take…. you."

**FIRST CHAPTER: DONE. Yay! Please (I beg of you) review this! I love you all. **


	2. Chapter 2

Gerard POV

The woman pulled me aside, "Did you just tell him that you would adopt him?" She hissed the words at me, gripping my elbow in a painful manner.

"Yeah, I did. Why?" I whispered, trying to pull her fingers off of my arm. She refused to release me.

"You shouldn't have done that. You got his hopes up, and you probably won't even want him when I'm through telling you about his problems."

"Hey, I like him. I want to adopt him, and if I told him that I would then I will." My eyes narrowed at her, "So what's wrong with him? There must be something wrong with him if you told me I might not want him later."

She sighed, "Come with me,"

Pulling me back into the lobby, she smoothed her dress and closed the doors, "He's got clinical depression. He developed it shortly after his arrival here, and he takes medication for it. He can't hold down most meals, he doesn't sleep well at night, and if you say the wrong thing he'll burst into tears. Most new adopters don't want to deal with things like that, so they pick children who have been here longer, children who don't remember the deaths of their parents. Happy children. Are you still positive that you want to adopt this boy?"

I looked her straight in the eye, "Yes,"

"Why? For spite against me? Pity for him?" she shook her head, pieces of gray hair coming out from underneath their bobby pins.

"No, because I like him. We have a lot in common, and I used to be like him. Ya know, depressed. I struggled with it for a long time, so I know how it works. It doesn't bother me that he has it."

She stared at me for a moment, as if trying to see whether or not I was telling the truth. I held her gaze until she broke away, "Fine then, Mr. Way. If you would just sign these papers you can leave."

I nodded, signing whatever she handed me.

She went back into the room with the children, "Vladimir, gather your things. You've been adopted."

Ten minutes later, he stumbled out with a backpack and some blue stuffed animal thing in his hands. He smiled at me, "Thanks. A lot. You don't know how happy I am."

I smiled back at him, squeezing his shoulder, "I'm glad. There are a few people you need to meet when we get off of the plane, but I'm positive you'll like them."

His brow furrowed, "What plane?"

I chuckled, "I live in California. With my band."

"Band?" Vlad looked confused.

We got outside and I sat him down on a bench, "My name is Gerard Way. I have a band called My Chemical Romance, and we travel the world doing concerts for people. We're famous. And you're going to live with us."

"Oh… if you're famous, then why'd you adopt a kid? Wouldn't you be too busy for that or something?"

I shrugged, "Well, we were thinking about it for a long time. We try and save lives through our music, and we just thought that it would be cool to get more personal with that. Ya know? So we thought about adopting a kid, and having him live with us."

"Oh…" he looked at the ground.

I ruffled his hair, "Come on, kiddo. Let's go,"

He nodded quickly, still not looking at me, and we walked down the street together.

I looked around, "Big city, isn't it?"

I gave me a look that clearly said, _Are you really using that to start a conversation?_

I sighed, "So what's Bathory like?"

He looked at his stuffed animal, and squeezed it to his chest, "It's nice. I like it there."

"Did you have a lot of friends?"

He shrugged, "Only one, but he was my best friend. I sure do miss him a lot."

"I'm sorry, buddy." I rubbed his back.

He shrugged, "It's okay. I try not to think about him, so I don't get too sad. But it's hard sometimes."

"Well…" I started, not sure if I should continue, "it's okay to be sad, sometimes. Especially when you lose someone, or when you can't see your friends anymore. It's not really a bad thing."

Vlad didn't say anything, he just nodded.

I sighed and just kept walking.


	3. Chapter 3

I smiled over at Vlad, who looked kind of scared and awkward, "Have you ever been on a plane before?"

He looked at me, and then shook his head, "No. I'm nervous." He looked at me with scared eyes.

I patted his back, "I think that you'll like it. You can watch movies or sleep if you wanna."

He looked at me, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, "Really? Like in the car?"

I chuckled, nodding, "Yeah."

I glanced down at his stuffed animal, "Who's that?"

He looked at me, then squeezed the toy tighter to his chest, "Ugly."

I raised a brow, "What?"

He looked up at me, "His name is Ugly. Because, well, he's so ugly. My mummy helped me name him."

I laughed loudly, "Oh. I thought you were calling me ugly, kid. Not that I'm a male model or anything, but I don't think I look _that _bad." I said, winking at him.

He shook his head at me, smiling, "You're not ugly, silly."

"Thanks buddy."

He nodded. "Why do you have to live so far away?"

I looked at him and shrugged, "That's where my friends and I wanted to live, I guess."

"Are your friends nice?"

I laughed, "I think so. I really think you'll like them, Frank especially."

"What's he like?"

I laughed, "He's really loud. And he curses a lot, but it's okay. I think he'll cut it out once you get there."

Vlad laughed, "My daddy cursed sometimes. And then my mummy would yell at him for it. And then he would say he was sorry."

I was kind of uncomfortable when he said that, "Oh,"

Vlad just nodded and didn't say anything else.

I took a deep breath for courage, "Do you miss them?"

Vlad grew completely silent, then squeezed Ugly to his chest and said in a small voice, "Yeah. I do. A lot."

I sighed, "I know you don't like to think about it, but I just wanted to tell you that it's okay to be sad. You don't have to bottle it up inside or anything, or even pretend that everything's okay. I… I just wanted you to know that, little buddy. And you can talk to me if you need to."

Vlad didn't say anything, but I saw his lower lip tremble as he wiped a tear from his pale cheek.

I patted his back again as we boarded the plane. Keeping my head down until we found our seats (so that crazy fans don't attack us); I slid into the one closest to the window. Vlad looked at me,

"How come you kept your head down?"

I whispered, "Because I didn't want people to see me."

He blinked, whispering back, "How come?"

Obviously our previous conversation had been forgotten. I motioned for him to come closer, and into his ear I whispered as quietly as I could "Cause I don't want people to see me with you, and then become jealous that I just adopted the coolest kid in the whole world. They'll be so jealous, that they will want you all for themselves and then Gerard won't have any Vlad. And that would make Gerard kind of sad."

He giggled, and then looked at me with a raised eyebrow, smirking, "That kind of made you sound like a pedophile."

I blinked, "What?"

He nodded, "I heard my daddy talking to my mummy about some guy that was on the news cause he kidnapped a girl and did bad things to her. He called him a pedophile and when I asked what it was, he said that it's an adult that's super nice to kids because he wants to hurt them."

I burst into laughter, "Kid, now that I think about it, I did sound like a pedophile. But I pinky swear to you, I'm not."

He giggled again, "I know. I don't think you are, but I was just sayin'."

We connected pinkies, locking our thumbs to seal the promise.

I noticed for the first time how much smaller than me he was.

I put my hands in my lap, settling back into my chair, "Okay. I think that we should talk about ourselves, get to know each other. I'll start by asking you stuff, and then you can ask me whatever you want to know."

He nodded, waiting for my question,

"What's your favourite colour?"

He thought about it for a second, "Blue, cause that's the colour of my bedroom."

"What's your favourite animal?"

He scrunched his face up for a second, thinking, "Cat. Cause my aunt has a cat named Amenti."

"How come you didn't go live with your aunt after the fire?" I asked.

He shrugged, "She's not really my aunt. She's just my mum's best friend in the whole world, but I've known her forever so I say that she's my aunt. And she got cancer or something, so the mean lady at the orphanage came and got me, but I wanted to stay with Nelly."

He looked at Ugly again, squeezing him. I guess it's his comfort thing.

"Oh,"

I thought of another question, "What's your favourite subject in school?"

He sighed, "I like two. Art and Literature class. But that's it."

I gasped with gusto, causing him to giggle again, and put a hand over my heart, "I love art! That was my favourite favourite favourite class in school!"

"Neato,"

I sighed, "Okay, kid. Your turn, ask away."

His faced scrunched up again, "Where were you born?"

"New Jersey. Where were you born?"

He shrugged, "Moscow. My daddy was visiting his friend and my mummy had me there, but she wasn't supposed to."

My eyes widened, "Cool! Were your parents Russian?"

He shook his head, "Nuh-uh. My daddy was from England- that's why he talked all funny. And my mummy was normal. Like everyone else."

My shoulders deflated, "Then why do you have a Russian name?"

He shrugged, "My daddy liked Russian people."

I sniggered, "Okay…"

He looked at me again, "What's _your _favourite colour?"

I thought about it, "Black,"

He made a face, "Black? Why?"

I laughed at him, "I like it. And kid, after living with us for a few months, it'll be your favourite colour too."

**Okay…. I know. Crappy ending, I guess. But I was just running out of ideas. –sigh- But whatever. Next chapter will be up really soon, I swear, but for now this is all you get. HAH. **

**Ehehehehehe I mad Vlad sound super Russian! I know that he was born in Bathory and all, but I thought that it would be cooler if he was born in Moscow. (Just sayin)**

**Again, sorry for the abrupt ending. The next chapter will be better. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

I gripped Vlad's hand tightly, "Okay, so I'll go get our bags. You just stay here- don't move. Can you do that for me, kid?"

Vlad looked at me for a moment before nodding.

I sighed in relief then went to retrieve our luggage from the moving belt. Keeping an eye on both Vlad and any sign of our bags, I stood in silence with my head down, praying that no one would recognize me.

And of course, my prayers were not answered.

Still staring at the ground, I could see a pair of black tennis shoes come into my view. I sighed and looked up, seeing a teenage girl standing there with a sharpie and a camera.

I wonder if all these girls go around prepared to meet celebrities, cameras and autograph books in their purses. Well hey, this _is _Cali. So… they probably do.

"Can I help you?"

She just nodded and grinned, shoving the sharpie into my hand and telling me where to sign. As I signed her forehead, she babbled on about how I was her favourite singer and her hero. I smiled graciously, though I've heard it all before. I can bet you right here that I am not her hero. I'm not anybody's hero. I mean, come on people! I'm no Brad Pitt.

I sighed my thank yous to her and posed as she took a picture of us with her hand extended forward.

I waved as she walked off towards her family, gesturing wildly to where I was standing. I sighed and hoped that our bags would come soon.

As soon as I saw the luggage, I grabbed them and ran off towards Vlad, stumbling a few times and pushing people out of my way before I could be recognized. Sometimes this made me wish that I still had my bodyguard with me everywhere I went.

But hey, they said I'm a man now. I can handle myself (I hope).

As soon as I reached Vlad, I took his hand in mine and dragged him behind me, ignoring his squeak of surprise and protests of me squeezing his wrist too hard.

As soon as we hit the parking lot, I was bombarded with flashing lights and yells of the paparazzi. I forgot that they practically lived in California airports.

I looked at Vlad, whose eyes had grown wide and fearful. He squeezed onto Ugly even tighter, if that was humanly possible.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, hoping that Vlad wouldn't hear me.

I shrugged his backpack over my shoulder and picked him up completely, holding his bottom and letting him wrap his skinny arms around my neck. I pushed through the paparazzi, searching for the spot that my car had been parked in for the last two days.

Finally seeing it, I dug through my pockets for my keys, pushing past loose coins and pieces of gum. I sighed in relief before unlocking the car and throwing Vlad into the back seat. Climbing into the front as quickly as I was able, I started the car and drove off, away from the paparazzi, away from the fans, away from the chaos.

At a red light, I looked back at Vlad, "Hey, you all right, buddy?"

He was shaking and clutching his toy, streams of tears running down his face. He didn't respond to my question.

I sighed, "I'm really sorry about that, Vlad. You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?"

He shook his head once, looking out of the window.

I reached back to squeeze his knee, "Hey, as soon as we get back to my place, you can do whatever you want. I'm really sorry about that, I wasn't thinking that they would be out there."

He shrugged without looking at me.

I sighed again and turned back around.


	5. Chapter 5

Pulling his backpack onto my shoulder again, I picked up a sleeping Vlad from the backseat and made my way into the house. Unlocking the front door, I slipped inside as quietly as I was able, before closing the door behind me and slowly setting Vlad on the couch.

I watched him for a second, making sure that he was breathing and everything, before retreating into the kitchen to call Frank and the guys.

After dialing, Frank's phone rang twice before I was met with a groggy voice, "Yeah?"

"Dude, I'm back. Just got home a second ago." I muttered, trying not to wake Vlad.

"Ah, dude, did you get the kid? What's his name?"

I chuckled to myself, "Chill, man. His name is Vlad."

I heard Frank snort, "What kind of name is that?"

I shrugged despite the fact that he couldn't see me, "I don't know, man. Russian. Look, he's ten; his parents just died a few months ago and all the kids at the fucking orphanage picked on him. He'll be totally great with us! We'll raise him to be the cool kind of outcast."

Frank whistled, "Well, his life sucks. What's he look like?"

I smiled despite myself, "Just like us. Pale skin, black hair. He's really skinny though, like, anorexic skinny. I don't think he was fed enough at that orphanage."

Frank snorted again, "Hah! Child abuse with other people's kids. Well, how about me and the guys come over, then? I'll bring pizza? We could like, introduce ourselves and everything."

I bit my lip slightly, not sure about the idea, "I dunno, man. He's kinda, well…. He's kinda paranoid. I mean, we ran into the paparazzi as soon as we got to L.A. He freaked and started crying in the car. He fell asleep on the couch, though."

I heard Frank sigh on the other line, "Does he have, ya know, like, problems? Mental?"

I scratched behind my ear, "Yeah, he's uh, depressed. The orphanage woman sent me the prescription for his pills and his personality file through the mail. I gotta check it after I hang up with you."

"Ah, dude, go look at those. I'll let you go then."

I sighed, "Thanks. So, I'll call you later on tonight and tell you more about him. I really don't know much."

"Whatever you do, man. He's your kid now."

And with that, Frank hung up on me.

"Bye," I muttered into the line.

I sighed before placing the phone back into its cradle and sneaking past Vlad to get to the front door.

On the floor in front of the mail slot was a pile of envelopes, addressed from the only people who know my actual address. It's a huge secret and all to keep it hidden from the fans, so the people I tell are really select.

Flipping through the letters, I picked out the large manila envelope, heading back to my bedroom and plopping down on the bed.

Ripping it open, I threw Vlad's prescription to the side to look at later, focusing on his personality file.

**Birth Name: **Vladimir Tomas Tod

**Age: **10 yrs, 8 months

**Birthday: **November 21, 1993

**Birthplace: **Moscow, Russia

**Home town: **Bathory, Michigan

**Appearance: **5.1 ft, black hair, pale skin, brown eyes

**Weight:** 51 kilo

**Parents: **Tomas and Mellina Tod (deceased)

**Adoptive Parent(s): **Gerard Arthur Lee Way

**Medical: **Clinically Depressed, Eating Disorder, Anemic

**Medicine taken: **Zoloft (Depression), Iron Supplement Pills (Anemic)

**Personality**

Extremely quiet, laid back, emotional, dark. He enjoys reading a lot, he can be found with a book in his hand most of the time.

He doesn't take well to bullying, though it happens to him often.

**Likes: **Rain, drawing, his friend Henry, small spaces, cats, books, the colour blue, red socks, dinosaurs, polar bears, vampires

**Dislikes: **Large spaces, teachers, school, bullies, old ladies, dogs, bugs, spiders, the sun, swimming, running, sports, fighting, mean people, homework, exams, turbans

I laughed. The kid doesn't like turbans?

I stopped when I heard a voice travel through the hallway, "Mr. Gerard?"

I stepped into the living area to find Vlad sitting up, rubbing his eyes slowly with the backs of his knuckles,

"Hey, kid. How ya feeling?"

He looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, half lidded and tired, "Okay, I guess."

I rubbed his back for a second, "How was your nap just now? Awake enough to unpack? Maybe afterwards we could go out and do something fun, eh?"

His eyes lit up, "Like what?" he asked excitedly.

"Hmm…" I pretended to ponder for a moment, "How about we go get ice cream?"

His eyes grew wide and a smile formed on his face, "Oh yes, Mr. Gerard! Can we?"

I clucked my tongue at him, "Only if you stop calling me Mr. Gerard. It's Gerard, kid."

He nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, I swear."

I lightly punched him in the shoulder, like I sometimes do with Frank or Mikey, but the result wasn't the same.

When my fist reached his skin, he shrank away, into the safety of the couch. He seemed honestly frightened.

My brows knit, and I spoke softly, "Vlad?"

He just looked away, his eyes cast downward, "I'll unpack now, Mr. Ger-, uh, Gerard. I don't need help or anything; I can do it by myself." His voice was quiet and withdrawn, as if he were afraid of getting in trouble if he spoke too loud.

"Alright. Just holler if you need anything, kid." I touched his shoulder lightly and his bottom lip trembled.

I left the room without saying anything else.

I knocked softly on his door two hours later, "Vlad? Hey man, you ready to go get some ice cream?"

I heard no reply, so I let myself in. The kid was only ten, for crying out loud. And this was my house, so I could let myself into any room I wanted without really being an invasion of privacy. Right?

The site that met my eyes when I entered nearly broke my heart.

Vlad sat shaking on the bed, his knees pulled up to his chin, arms wrapped snugly around.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he choked on sobs that tried to escape his trembling lips.

"Oh, Vlad…"

He didn't even look up when I approached him.

I scooted next to him on the bed, wrapping a protective arm around his shaking shoulders. Much to my disappointment, he shrank away from my touch.

I ran a hand through his hair, "What's the matter, kiddo?"

He buried his face into his knees, letting his sobs come out openly, "I want to g-go home." He mumbled against his legs.

I squeezed his shoulders tighter, "You are home, kiddo."

He shook his head furiously, "No! This isn't my home. No, no its not. Please, don't say that, this isn't my home I swear."

I didn't know what to say, so when I was silent he continued, "I want my mummy and my daddy and I want to see Aunt Nelly and her kitty and I want to go back to my room and play outside in the big tree with Henry."

He sobbed louder after his little speech, shaking harder.

I pulled the boy into my lap, "I'm really sorry, Vlad. But, but I just want to help. I want to be your best friend if I can, and I want you to like me and like where you live, buddy. Cause this is where you live now."

He buried his face into my neck, mumbling to himself, "No, no,"

I sighed, continuing to rub his back in soothing circles for a few minutes before I heard the door bell ring on the other side of the house.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself. Carefully, I pulled Vlad from my lap and onto the bed, squeezing his shoulder tight, "I'll be right back, kiddo."

"Whose- whose there? I-I…" He looked at loss for what he had to say. His brows knit, more tears fell down his cheeks, and his face got red with frustration.

"Hush up now, I'll only be gone for a second, I swear." I smiled reassuringly towards him. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand, "I- I don't like people. I m-mean, I don't like new people. A-and someone new must b-be at the door." He hiccupped after that, his eyes desperate for me to understand what he was saying. I didn't, though.

"I swear kid, everything's fine. I'll be right back."

He hiccupped again as I left his bedroom.

I pulled open the front door, only to be greeted by the guys and my brother. I sighed and rubbed my temple, knowing that this could only be the worst possible time for them to show up.

Frank pushed past me to get inside, "So… WHERE IS HE, MAN?" he waved his hands around the empty air of the living room.

I sighed again, loudly, "I just calmed him down, man. He's in his room."

Mikey raised a brow, also pushing past me to get inside, "Calmed him down from what?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, he's just upset. I felt so bad for him; he's upstairs crying his heart out like everything. I don't know what to do!"

Frank gasped, "I'll talk to him!"

And with that, he ran up the stairs in search of Vlad's room.

I bounded after him, "Wait, man! He doesn't like people, he-"

It was too late. I heard a door open swiftly and a gasp, followed by Frank's obnoxiously loud footsteps into Vlad's bedroom.

His voice carried down the corridor, "Hey, you must be Vlad. I'm Frank, best friend of your new  
daddy-o."

Before I could stop them, Mikey, Ray and Bob followed Frank into the room.

At first, Vlad was silent, but when I stepped inside he started breathing in small, shallow gasps. Tears flew down his cheeks, re-dampening his almost dry skin. He pulled his knees to his tiny chest again, rocking back and forth and refusing to look at any of us.

Frank started, "What's wrong with hi-."

"Shut the hell up, man! You're all freaking him out!"

I pulled Vlad into my embrace, only to be shoved away with his small white hands, "No!"

His breathing became faster and soon, he looked completely out of breath, as if he had just run a few miles.

I heard Mikey's voice well above the cries of Vlad, "Dude! I-I think he's hyperventilating!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! I wrote this chapter pretty quickly, so sorry that it's a bit short this time. I swear to VLAD that it will be longer next time, and I hope that you all really like it anyway. Note: I will be updating my other story, The Beginning of the End, soon so be on the lookout for that please!**

**XxXxX**

_Hyperventilation: In medicine, hyperventilation (or overbreathing) is the state of breathing faster and/or deeper than necessary. It can result from a psychological state such as a panic attack, an episode of intense fear or apprehension that is of sudden onset. _

I watched, horrified, as Vlad continued with his struggle to breathe. Frank had frozen when the hyperventilation started, and now he just stared at the poor kid, shocked out of his mind.

I elbowed Mikey out of my way in order to get myself to the bed that Vlad was freaking out on.

I wrapped my arms around him, "Shhh, come on, baby, its okay. Just- just breathe for me, okay?"

I tried rocking back and forth with him, stroking his hair and whispering comfort into his ear, but nothing was working. Soon, his fingers began to clench and unclench, and I was almost positive that Vlad had no control over the movements. His ankles started to twitch in unison, and his muscles tightened beneath my grip. His face was paling dramatically, and he looked as if he were about to pass out. I yelled at the guys, "Get outta here, man! Just- just go and give the kid some space, _please." _

They all nodded dumbly and left one at a time. Frank paused at the door,

"I- I'm sorry. Just… sorry." He left the room looking abashed.

I sighed and rubbed Vlad's back roughly, "Come on, baby, just breathe. You've got this, now, you've got this."

I spoke familiar words of encouragement to him for the next few minutes.

Tears of agony ran down his cheeks, and he started mumbling incoherent things to himself, low enough that I couldn't hear what was being said.

"What are you saying, kid? Come on, now, speak up."

He shook his head and whispered louder for me, "I- I can't f-feel my a-arms. I'm, I- I'm not- this isn't real. No. No, I'm at home. I-I'm in bed. Y-You're not real. _No"._

He started scratching his arms absentmindedly, still rocking back and forth. Every time I tried taking his hand away from his forearm, it would just go back automatically. Like he had no control.

"Come on, baby, stop scratching. I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear. Everyone's gone. Its- its just you and me, I promise, baby. Please stop scratching." I felt extremely weak and helpless in this situation. Maybe that was how Vlad felt too.

He let out a loud sob and took a shuddered breath in, repeating the action three or four times.

I moved him around so that his back was flat against my chest, "Come on, now, just breathe. Breathe with me, exactly like I am."

I took in deep breaths, slower than necessary for Vlad's sake. After a while, our chests started moving in unison, and it only took about twenty minutes to get his breathing back on track after what seemed like forever.

Soon after the event, he fell asleep in my arms.

I held him close to my body, whispering "What's wrong up in that head of yours, little buddy?"

**XxXxXx**

**Reviews are lovely. That little blue button down there is just calling your name. **


	7. Chapter 7

I retreated to the living room, sighing deeply and rubbing my eyes. Frank was the first to stand,

"Hey man, is the kid okay?"

Mikey stood also, "Yeah, what the hell happened back there, Gee?"

I collapsed on the black leather armchair, rubbing my eyes furiously again, and replied,

"He's asleep now."

Mikey motioned for me to continue, "And?"

I threw my hands in the air, over my head, "I dunno, man! His breathing is okay now and everything. But I was totally scared shitless, I swear to God. When he started scratching at his arms, I-"

Bob interrupted me, "Scratching how?"

I shrugged,

"I dunno, like uncontrollably."

Frank's eyes got wide, "You used to do that…"

I cocked a brow, "What?"

Mikey nodded in agreement, "Yeah, man. When you were depressed. During the times you would totally black out and then wake up and ask if you were 'out of the darkness'. It was freaky, Gee."

I sighed again, "The kids clinically depressed. I-I have no idea what to do!"

Ray called from the couch, "Is he on meds?"

I nodded, "Yeah, the woman at the place gave me his prescriptions and stuff. I still have to take it to the drug store to have them fill it out."

Frank snorted and sat back down, "That would probably be a good idea, man."

I glared, "Shut the fuck up."

xXxX

"Here you go, Vlad. Just swallow after you drink the water, got it? And then we can have dinner."

I watched as Vlad took the pill and consumed it with his glass of water. I pulled him in for a hug, "Good boy. Ready to eat, kiddo?"

He shrugged, his eyes still bloodshot and droopy from having been woken up from his nap, "I'm not really hungry, Gerard." He slurred sleepily.

I bent down and picked him up, letting him wrap his thin arms around my neck slowly but surely.

"I know, baby. But it's already seven and you've gotta eat something before bedtime."

He shook his head, his face pressed up against my neck.

"I don't want to," his voice came out muffled.

"Too bad," I chuckled at his childlike attitude. It was exceptionally cute.

He sniffed against my neck but didn't say anything else in protest.

I carried him to the kitchen and sat him down on one of the stools that were lined at the counter.

"Alright, the pizza should be done soon. You like pepperoni?"

He eyed me wearily before shaking his head in the negative.

I paused, "I guess I can pick them off for you, then."

He nodded before staring fixedly at the counter top, his shoulders hunched.

When the timer on the oven rang, I pulled the pizza out and reached for a knife to slice it with.

I cut Vlad a rather small piece before placing it onto a paper plate and picking off all of the meat bits. I shoved it in his direction, "Eat up, kid. You must be starving after today."

He didn't respond to me, but after quickly glancing in my direction, he lifted the pizza to his lips and took a bite from it as if it were painful to do so.

He must've chewed the food to a near liquid-like substance before swallowing and lifting the pizza to his lips again.

"Good?" I asked, bits of my food flying past my lips.

He giggled slightly at the sight and nodded, "Yeah,"

I nodded and cut myself a second slice.

After finishing my third piece of pizza, Vlad gently sat his half eaten slice back onto the plate, "I think I'm full now."

I cocked a brow, "You only had half a slice, kid. You sure you're done?"

He nodded so I picked up his plate and threw the rest of it in the garbage.

xXxXx

**Helllloooooo again! Sorry sorry sorry for the long wait! Things have been kind of hectic right now. Good news: Passing math class! Bad news: more tutoring so that I can keep my grade up, which means less writing time. **

**Sorry for leaving this on kind of a bland note, but I ran out of things to say in this chapter lol. And sorry that it's a bit short. Like I said…. Ran out of things to say. :DD**

**Please review, because that little bit of inspiration you give me is where this story is coming from! Thanks for reading. **

**Remember kids: REVIEW. **


	8. Chapter 8

**The chapter you guys have been waiting for!**

It had been two hours since dinner, and two hours since I'd seen Vlad.

After our first meal as a "family", my adopted son had retreated into his new bedroom, Ugly in tow behind him.

Because it was getting pretty late, I decided to check up on him, to see whether or not he'd fallen asleep after the long day's hard events, or if he was still up and playing around.

When I got to his door, I knocked lightly as to not wake him up if he hadbeen sleeping.

When I got no response from the other side, I just let myself in.

I can tell you right now that I didn't expect to see much when I entered the room. I thought that maybe I would catch a glimpse of Vlad asleep in his bed, or playing around with Ugly on the carpeted floor. But nothing like this.

When I flipped the light on to get a better look, I nearly peed my pants right there. And when you hear that from a 34 year old man, you _know _the scene is shocking.

There, in the middle of the floor, sat Vlad, his bloody wrist attached to his lips.

I watched as he sucked the skin hungrily, red liquid seeping from the left corner of his mouth.

His eyes were screwed shut, so I doubt he noticed my presence in the room.

I stood there in a stupor for quite a few seconds, before sense came back to my brain through my ears.

I barged into the room and tore Vlad's thin arm away from his crimson lips,

"Vlad" I started to scold, but stopped short when I saw something glinting from behind his lips. Something… sharp.

A guilty look in his eyes, Vlad averted his attention away from me.

I swallowed thickly and prayed that my assumptions were wrong, before grabbing Vlad's soft cheeks between my fingers and directing him to look at me.

I commanded, "Open your mouth."

I watched as his eyes grew wide and he shook his head, clamping his mouth shut.

"Vladimir Tod," I warned.

Fear flashed through his expression when he heard my tone, but he was still persistent, "Mhhm mmm," he protested childishly, unable to form proper words with my hands against his face in such a harsh grip.

I sighed and released him, "Come on, buddy. I won't be mad or anything, I'm just… confused."

A single tear ran down his pale cheek, and he looked like a kid who just got caught stealing gum from the convenience store.

Slowly, his jaw released from its tense position, and he opened his mouth, revealing two shiny white… fangs.

"Dear God," I muttered under my breath, "What the hell are those?"

He shook his head and shut his mouth, "Oh no.." he said quietly.

A small sob released from his mouth, "Oh no!"

"Vlad?"

As confused as I was, I still wondered about his reaction to me having found out his little "secret".

He wiped his nose and turned away from me, his eyes turning red and teary.

"Ohh I broke my promise to daddy," he sobbed, "Oh Gerard, you weren't 'sposed to find out!"

I swallowed, "About your teeth?"

Vlad nodded, still crying, "Daddy said I wasn't 'sposed to feed from myself, but-but I had to! Oh gosh, Gerard, I was so hungry, and, and I didn't know what else to do! I'm sorry, Gerard, I'm sorry."

"Vlad!" I have no idea what you're talking about!" I cried.

Vlad sniffled and look up at me,

"They didn't tell you?"

"Who didn't tell me what?"

Vlad looked confused, "The people from the children's home. They didn't tell you that I'm, ya know… a vampire?"

**Bahahahahha! Cliffy :)) **

**Sorry for the long wait for the update, I just wrote this last night in bed. Review or else! I nnneeeeddd reviews! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Really excited for this chapter! ENJOY. :D**

"I'm sorry, a what?"

Vlad glanced at me, the whites of his eyes red from crying, "Um," he stammered like the ten year old he was, "A vampire."

I sighed, shaking my head and holding my hand out in front of me, "Yeah, alright Vlad. Just give me the fangs and hop into bed; we'll talk about this tomorrow."

He scoffed loudly, his eyebrows rising above his bangs, "I can't _give _you my fangs, Gerard! Gosh."

I stepped forward then, hooking my hands underneath his armpits, lifting him from the carpet and dropping him gently onto his mattress. I plucked Ugly from the floor and placed it onto Vlad's pillow, "Vladimir, I'm not playing with you now. It's too late, and you have to get to bed, or you're going to be a cranky mess in the morning, okay? Just give me the toy and go straight to sleep. I don't want to have to tell you again." My voice was stern, but not angry. I had read in a parenting book that the tone in your voice was important in getting a kid to listen.

He sighed dramatically, wiping at his eyes again and telling me, "They're not a toy, Gerard! They're my fangs!"

My patient resolve broke; I was never really a calm person, and my past drug and alcohol abuse cause my nerves to fray and my temper to stray easier than when I was younger.

I held my hand in front of his nose, my eyes darkening, "I am _not _going to deal with this bullshit tonight, young man. Hand them over right now."

Tears resurfaced on Vlad's face, running down his cheeks in frustration, "Gerard… I- I _can't._" he said weakly. "I'm telling the truth, Gerard, really I am!"

"God," I muttered. "Open your mouth, Vlad."

He opened it submissively, allowing me to examine the inside.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "If those fangs are real, then where'd they go?"

He wiped his eyes again, refusing to look at me fully, "I-I, well, sometimes they, ya know, they go down back into my mouth when I'm not, when I'm not eating." He stumbled over his words, clearly distressed over the entire situation.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, "Can you make 'em come back up?" I asked, trying to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible, in order to get us both some sleep. Before he answered, I glanced at the wall clock hanging above the window, which read 10:30. Way too late for a ten year old.

I looked back to my son expectantly, but gasped when I saw that the teeth were back in his mouth.

"How the fuck did you _do _that?" I questioned loudly.

"Daddy calls it 'willing them out'."

"I, I-, what?"

I was at a complete loss at how the kid got the fangs back out so quickly. I had only looked at the clock for a few seconds, right?

He smiled wider, the two long teeth glinting in reflection of his table lamp.

"Fuck," I whispered to myself, not wanting to believe this. I knew now that I couldn't bullshit this any longer- those were legit teeth! I could see the gum line and everything! It just didn't make sense.

"Explain this to me," I demanded. "Now."

**Bahaahhaha! I am soooooooooooo mean because this was SO short and SO crappy. 3 But you guys love me anyways, right! RIGHT! Right. **

**Anywhooooooo I just wrote this WHOLE chapter (if you could call it that) in ten minutes, because I had nothing better to do lol. Yay!**

**Ohhh BTW. I have some pretty pictures for you guys!**

**GERARD LOOKING PRETTY. **

.com/user_images/S/SO/SOM/SomethingPermanent/1134671876_

**Notice his happiness whilst drinking his smoothie in front of those lovely port-a-potties. Fantatstic. 3 Welp, that was your happy-go-lucky Gerard Face for today, kids. **

**THIS BEAUTIFUL AND LONG AWAITED PICUTRE OF… *drum roll* UGLY! **

.?w=300&h=300 

**He's so hideous, he's adorable. :3 Squee!**

**OKAY THANKS FOR READING REVIEW OR NO UPDATE OKAY THANKS LOVE YOU GUYS BYE. **

***quick edit*: LOOK ON MY PAGE FOR THE PICTURES OF GERARD AND UGLY BITTE UND DANKE. Kaybye.. **


	10. Chapter 10

Vladimir started to cry, "I-I don't know what to say."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, giving up on my anger for the young boy and I sat down on the bed by his side, "Just tell me the truth, Vlad." I didn't know what else I could ask of him. I was just as confused as he was, probably even more. I knew that he was scared and worried and perplexed about this situation, but he had to let me know. He had to let his father know.

He shrugged and tried helplessly to wipe tears from his cheeks with the backs of his wrists, "I didn't lie to you," he said defensively. "I _am _a vampire, Gerard. I _am_!"

I held my hands up in submission and calmed him, speaking quickly so that he wouldn't start yelling, "Alright, Vlad. You're a vampire, I get it. It's just…" I groaned, feeling uneasy again, "I've never, you know, met a vampire before. And you're going to have to explain some things to me because I'm confused."

He nodded and looked at his hands that were wrung in his lap, "Well, I've been like this for as long as I can remember," he started. "My daddy said that I was born like this. That I was born with these." He parted his lips once more and showed me the pearly whites, the two sharp canines longer than the rest. "My mom wasn't one of us, though. Just me and daddy."

I nodded, "Yeah? Your mom was human?"

He confirmed, "Yup. She was human and she ate human food and did human things."

I raised a brow, almost positive that the blood had drained from my face. I groaned. _Blood!_

"And, uh," I stammered, "What do _you_ eat?"

He shrugged as if it were the most natural question in the world, "Everything. Except garlic. Daddy said that I could get really super sick if I eat that, and he makes sure that I stay away." He nodded, his expression matter-of-fact.

"Alright. Do you drink blood?"

He scoffed, his shoulders rolling forward and he gave me a look completely devoid of humor, "Of course, Gerard! Gosh, don't you know anything?"

I gave him a stern look, "I'm just asking, Vlad. Chill. I told you that I'd be confused; don't look at me like I'm an idiot!"

He recoiled at once and sent me an apologetic glance, "Sorry," he murmured. He sniffled and the tears threatened to return.

I felt guilty and nodded, quickly speaking, "Just don't take that tone again. Anyway," I changed the subject back to our previous discussion, "so you drink blood? Do you get it straight from the humans? If you do, I'm afraid that there's going to have to be a strict 'no drinking from Gerard' rule around here. Frank's fine, though. You can drink that guy dry if you ever feel the need." I winked at him.

He giggled and brought his hands to his face; squeezing his cheeks between his palms and making his smile go loopy. His tears were obviously forgotten, "No, silly!" he shook his head, still laughing, "Nuh-uh. Aunt Nelly brings me and daddy big boxes." He spread his arms wide, "Full of these bags! And they have the blood."

"Where did she get the boxes?"

He thought for a moment until his face lit up, as if having an epiphany, "She worked at the hospital," he said. "She got them from there."

"The hospital?" I whistled, "That had to be tough."

He nodded, his eyes knowing, "Oh yes. She always would say things to mommy, 'I almost got caught this time!' so I think that she wasn't supposed to take them." He waved his finger no. "But she did anyway."

I curled a hand across the back of my neck and let it rest there, thinking for a moment, "How long can you go without blood?"

He shrugged, "I've never gone too long without it," he said. "But I guess another week or so. Because I drank from myself tonight." He held his wrist up, the blood now dried and crusty. Flakes of his drifted down to the bed-spread.

"Ew. Don't do that again, Vlad, because you could seriously hurt yourself. I don't care if your starving, which you won't be because we'll figure something out."

He grinned, "Thanks, Gerard."

I smiled back, looking at my son with admiration, "Anytime, kiddo. Now, let's get you ready for bed. I don't know about you, but that whole conversation made me exhausted!"

He nodded and kicked off his shoes, letting them drop to the floor, and crawled under the sheets. He pushed my leg away from the middle of the bed and I rose, bending down to pull the blankets over his form.

"It's nice to have a bed and my own room again," he said. "I had to share with lots of boys at the orphanage. A lot of them were older and they never went to bed. Now I can just," he stretched out, smiling contently, "sleep in the quiet."

I grinned at his cute-ness and kissed his forehead, "I'm glad that you like it here, buddy. I'm just going to be downstairs if you need me, so sleep tight. Okay?"

He nodded and rolled over, tucking the blankets into himself, "Thanks… Daddy."

I beamed.

xXx

I was still smiling by the time I got downstairs, but it soon faded as I caught sight of the phone. I sighed and hesitantly picked it up, dialing a familiar number.

"_Hello?"_

"Mikey?" I said. "We need to talk. Can you get here soon?"

"_On my way."_

I sighed for the millionth time that day and glanced at the clock. 10pm. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
